A Warrior's Tale
by Desert
Summary: War breaks out in the country after a young man's parents are murdered. Can he restore peace?
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

**The Night**

**It was a stormy night. The night I will never forget. The tragedy that happened long ago, in evil times. I was hiding under my warm cover of my soft, silky bed. The thunder and lightning were causing disturbance in the night. I held my bear close; I knew it was the only one who could comfort me. The rain pelted against the window, the sound echoing through the halls. It was then, the nightmare happened.**

**There was a knock on the door. My dad, being up late, in his stupidity, answered it. I heard the cries of battle. My mom woke up and rushed downstairs. She saw it, my dad. He lay on the ground. I heard her shriek, a shriek of despair, agony, pain. She ran up the stairs and into my little room.**

**I tried to stop her. She was out of control. She would share the same fate. She grabbed two of my dad's weapons from the closet and rushed back in. She gave me the bow and left. I screamed. I cried. I ran after her, but I was too late. She had tried to stop the men and now lies next to my father.**

**I ran to her. She was cold. Blood stained the floor. I took my bow in hand and ran outside. The rain tore at my skin. The lightning flashed and the thunder roared. I continued on, not knowing where I was headed or when I would get there. I just ran.**

**I finally stopped at a cave. It was filled with darkness, hate, with my emotions. I felt hate, sorrow, despair. **


	2. Chapter 1: A Stranger

Chapter 1  
A Stranger

_Writer's Note: This takes place fifteen years after the young man's parnets died. He is now 20._

I walked out of the inn. A sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. I stretched my aching arms and yawned.

_Another day of fighting..._

There was a war going on. A war for the Sacred Stones that locked up the Great Evil centuries ago. Grado has suddenly attacked the neigboring country of Magvel and has attempted to steal the Sacred Stone of this land.

I walked to the arena, like all other days. I took my steel bow in hand and admired it. It shone in the lite. I pulled out an arrow from it's carrying case off my back. It was thin, yet strong. The head glistened and shone in the light. I put it to my string and pulled back. The string stretched out to its limits. My fist clinching it tight.

_Bump._

"I'm terribly sorry, mam," I said, quite embarrassed.  
"No, it was me," she said.

I reached my hand out and pulled her up. Her warm, smooth skin cleansed my rough hand.

"Where are you headed?" she asked.  
"To the arena," I replied and showed off my bow.  
"It's beautiful," she pointed out.  
"Uhh... Thank you," I replied.  
"Oh, I must be going," she said. "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble."

She walked off.

_Ahh... What a beauty..._

I regained my mind and continued my walk to the arena. I pulled open the lovely, red door and stepped inside. The cheers of fans and cries of battle echoed thought the building.

"Hey, Ephriam, you're missin' the fight!" my friend Dorcas called out.  
"Hold on," I said and stated toward him.

I sat down on the hard splintered bench and watched the brutal fight. It was a thief and an axe wielder. Not a fair fight at all. But, that how they set them up, it made the crowd happy to see a blowout.

"Any last words?" the axe wielder asked in a mocking tone. He had the thief on the ground, holding him to the place with his foot.

The thief, quick as lightning, grabbed a dagger in each hand from his belt and dug them into the warrior's leg. He yelled out of pain.

"Oh, you're gonna' get it now!" he yelled and ran after the thief with his axe in striking position. He drew nearer and nearer, yet the thief didn't move.

_Whoosh!_

The warrior swung his axe for the head and got nothing but air. The thief had ducked. Seeing his chance, the thief took his sword and stabbed the warrior in the stomach. He fell down with a thump.

The crowd cheered and the thief was awarded his money. He quickly rushed out of the arena and off to wherever he might go.

"And the next contestants are Ephriam and..."

"And the next contestants are Ephraim and Lyn!" the announcer exclaimed and walked off of the battle field.

I walked onto the stage and looked at Dorcas. He game me a thumbs up and I drew my bow and set an arrow to the string.

And to my surprise, the lady who I bumped into walked onto the stage with a staff in hand.

_What! The lady I ran into!_

"Nice to see you again," she said mockingly and raised her staff.

"On the signal," said the announcer. "One... two... go!"

I let the string go and the arrow flew.

_Bad aim..._

She looked back for a second and smiled. A tempting smile. A smile that said: come and get me.

I couldn't help grinning also. I place another arrow on the string and held the string at my ear.

_What is she doing?_

A great question that was. She had her head down and was whispering something to herself. Then I knew, a magic user. If she fully recited that spell I would be dead... I let go of the string and the arrow zoomed toward her. It stuck her in the shoulder.

She let go a gasp of pain and smiled again. She lifted up her staff and shot a zap of electricity through my bones. I'd never felt anything like it before. It shut off you nervous system. My brain couldn't communicate with your body. I dropped my bow and fell to my knees. Then it all came back to me. What a dirty trick that was. I set another arrow to the string and fired without hesitation. The arrow zoomed toward her once again and stuck her in the hand holding the staff.

_Clang!_

That was my chance. I rushed forward and took the staff in my hand. I felt a feeling of acomplishment, like I had done something to win, yet I wasn't close.

She whispered a spell and five black clumps of darkness descended into the floor. I felt the floor rumbling. Then they emerged from the ground and rushed into my system.

What torture it was. My head throbbed. I yelled out in pain. But, I remembered something I never wanted to forget. My parents. There they were, so real, yet so white. I recognized the situation at once. The night.

Everything came back in a blink. I dropped to my knees and lowered my head. I could not win like this. Not with this torture she was sending upon me. I dropped my bow as a signal of surrender.

"And Lyn is the winner!" exclaimed the announcer.


	3. Chapter 2: A Vision

Chapter 2  
A Vision

I sat in the cold locker room, deep in thought. Thinking back to that horrible day. The day that started it all. The war, my nightmare, the death of my parents.

_What kind of magic does she use?_

Then she walked in. She was dressed in normal cloths, with a bandage arround her left hand.

"How come you gave up without a fight?" she asked.  
"I couldn't take it," I mumbled.

She sat down beside me.

"Couldn't take _what_?" she asked.  
"The torture," I mumbled again.  
"Torture? I just used a simple spell..." she said.  
"You wouldn't understand," I said angirly.  
"I bet I would," she said. "Now please tell me."  
"Okay. Well, when I was five years old my parents were murdered by a mysterious gang of thieves. I escaped with this bow and tought myself the art of archery in the wilderness. Then I moved here and make my money by competing in the arena competitions."  
"I-I'm sorry..." she said.  
"Don't be. You didn't do anything," I responded.  
"Something like that happened to me also," she said. "It was a cold night and a gang of burglars broke into my house and kidnapped me. I've been seperated from my family ever sinse."  
"I-I didn't know... I'm sorry I'm being such a jerk..."  
"Don't be," she said. "I don't think we've met proprly yet. My name's Lyn."  
"I'm Ephraim," I said.  
"Well, it's been nice meeting you, Ephraim," she said and walked outside.

I got up and strapped my supply of arrows to my back and took my bow in hand. I walked. I walked somwhere. I didn't know where, but I walked. I reached a creek and meditated at the shore. And it happened. A miracle, something super natural, not of this world.

"Ephraim, Ephraim! This is your father!"  
"Father? How is this possible? You died fifteen years ago!"  
"I know, son. But after I died I passed on to the Afterworld."  
"The Afterworld?"  
"Yes, but I don't have time to explain that to you!"  
"Umm... okay?"  
"Listen, son. Go back to the sight of your nightmares and retrieve the item that I told you you could never touch."  
"You mean the stone?"  
"Yes. That is one of the Sacred Stones! You need to bring it to the Temple in the far off land of Renias. It should finally seal the Deamon King in the Cursed Realm once again!"  
"But-"  
"Hurry son!"  
"Father!"

But the image faded from my head and I woke up in the middle of the night. I walked to the inn and dozed off, awating the new day to come.


	4. Chapter 3: The Quest Begins

Chapter 3  
The Quest Begins

I rolled arround in bed that whole night, dreaming about the day. The nightmare. The blood stained floor, my mom's cries, the knock. It all happened so fast...

I wole up sweating like crazy. A hot night. I stood up and stretched. It was a fairly cloudy day, probably holding rain for the later hours. I walked over to the dresser and dressed in my normal cloths. I grabbed my bow and arrows from the bedside table and headed out the door.

_The vision_

I had to do what my father had told me. One of the Sacred Stones that would bring peace was resting in my nightmares. In my old house. I had to go back and retrieve the item. But I couldn't go alone. That would be pure madness. I would travel throught the cold, dark forest where the monsters lurk in the shadows. I would need a kpartner, but who?

_Lyn_

I hurried to the arena, she would probably be there. Either watching fights or fighting another man. I couldn't walk. I ran to the arena as fast as I could and rushed in.

_Bump!_

I got hit by a powerful force, some one, I thought. I got up. Dorcas. I ran into Dorcas. I helped him up and brushed myself off.

"Whatch where you're goin'," he said.

"Hey, Dorcas," I said. "Do you know where that girl I fought yesterday is?"

"Yeah, she just got done fighting, she should be in the locker room," he said.

"Ok, thanks!" I said and ran off.

I shoved people out of the way and finally reached the locker room. And, like Dorcas said, she was there. I rushed over.

"Lyn!" I said franticly. "You have to listen to me!"

"Umm, ok," she said uneasily.

I led her to the bench and sat down. I explained everything that happened yesterday in great detail.

"No way," she said. "You have on of the Sacred Stones in your old house?"

"That's what my father has told me. So, are you gonna' help me or not?"

She thought for a moment the felt like an eternity. She finally raised her head and answered.

"If it'll stop the war, I'm in," she said.

I was overjoyed. I jumped up and said yes a couple of times.

"You don't have to get all worked up," she said.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy," I replied and smiled.

"So we're leaving tomorrow?" she asked. 

"Tomorrow? Sounds good. I'll meet you at the armory." I said.

"Ok," she said. But before she could look back at me, I was gone, packing up whatever I needed for the long, hard journey.


End file.
